Dreaming

As a kid I wondered what adult life would be like. I saw myself as a husband and father just like my dad. I imagined having a job in which I commuted daily by car, traveled some in the job, had plentiful income to support the family in its journey of development, and still have money left over for vacations.

I imagined the education I would need to do these things. The college template was much in sight as both my parents went to college. I imagined having hobbies and following them. I also imagined myself an involved citizen learning what was going on locally as well as nationally. By this time, I was firmly rooted in my teens and following newspaper accounts of national and regional happenings. Government was an oft cited topic.

I came to appreciate our form of government as it emerged from history. Freedom was a word frequently used, but more was associated with it at the time. We had exited a world war successfully. The outcome had not been assumed; lots of fear and angst were associated with the war effort and we rooted for our troops throughout the world. The real world, and the reporting of it, became much more real to me.

I used this information to form hopes for what our nation could be, not just the daily mess of news stories that centered on crime, passion and argument. What we could do about our own circumstances was a common focus, at least of mine.

What to do about any circumstance, whether it was family, neighborhood, employer or nation or region. We had a system for processing problems and investing action toward them to solve them. We had local, regional, statewide and national governments to do this for us, but it involved our being active in the process.

The same is true today, but the level of upset in the body politic is much more intense in modern times. Our troubles are much larger and widespread. The complexity is heightened by the number of players and the regions of involvement. Global issues are real and demand attention.

But the dream of solving problems, not just talking about them, seems to be losing support.

In my career life problems became desired elements of my work. The problems were the challenges we worked on, took pride in working them, and relished solutions as intellectual prizes. The same is true today, just fewer people treat problems as opportunities.

We Americans have systems of government that work. Not perfectly. But they work in the main and accomplish wonderful results. Getting involved in the process teaches us this. Not involved? Then lessons are unavailable to be learned for you. Involvement is the key.

We have a level of freedom that is the envy of the world. We have this as an outcome of our involvement in our own governance. It is not hidden and inaccessible. Anyone can be involved. In fact, our national success relies on our involvement.

Relish our problems. They are solvable. They tickle our imagination and dream power to make into reality. Know this and become a part of the solution. Not a whiner, not a complainer, but an analyst, thinker and problem solver. It is doable. Challenging but doable.

September 20, 2024

 

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